• Outdoor wood furnaces release smoke into the atmosphere.furnace image by sumos from Fotolia.com
  
  People are increasingly looking towards alternative burning fuel options with the price of oil and gas constantly on the rise. Wood, as a biodegradable and abundantly available material, makes a viable source of fuel. Outdoor furnaces are a cheap option to heat water that is then supplied to buildings and homes through pipes. The water, as it passes through the pipework, helps to warm buildings and provide a source of hot water for use in faucets and showers. Outdoor wood burning furnaces, however, release smoke, the byproduct of burning, into the atmosphere, which is associated with numerous health and other hazards.
  
  

Hazards of Burning Seasoned Wood

• Wood burning furnaces contain burning units that release dense smoke. This smoke, which is heavier than air, stays low on the ground, affecting neighboring communities and causing a host of health problems. Ailments, such as lung infections, eye infections and eczema, are common among populations that lie in the vicinity of wood burning furnaces. According to Burning Issues, numerous statistical analysis have shown that a majority of medical emergencies at hospitals are due to smoke inhalation--with minorities, the elderly and children at higher risk of its associated hazards.
  
  

Ozone Rift

• The smoke produced by a wood burning furnace is rich in carbon. This carbon, which is in the form of smoke, is readily absorbed by the atmosphere. The ozone shield that protects the earth from strong ultraviolet light is highly susceptible to carbon and its degrading effects. Constant release of carbon due to wood burning stoves ruptures this delicate ozone layer, causing a a number of hazards that are directly connected with ozone breach.
  
  

Hazards of Burning Green Wood

• Unseasoned, or green wood, has several enzymes that burn to produce a number of noxious chemicals. Microorganisms that live within the wood release other harmful chemicals that combine with oxygen to form highly toxic smoke. This smoke enters the lungs and is absorbed by the blood vessels. Carbon-laden blood vessels harden the arteries, causing numerous respiratory ailments, including shortness of breath, cough and hoarseness. Excessive inhalation can cause more serious and long-term effects, including lung cancer and carbon monoxide poisoning.
  
  

Infections

• Inhaling smoke produced by wood burning furnaces weakens the chest by affecting the lungs, which leads to infections that, if left unattended, turn into chronic pneumonia. Smoke acts as a trigger for people prone to allergies whose malfunctioned lungs fail to supply oxygenated blood. When the body is devoid of oxygen for too long, an asthma attack is brought about. Asthma weakens the heart, which eventually deteriorates before its age. Inhaling carbon monoxide-rich smoke from wood burning furnaces also clogs the arteries, causing clotting and seizures.